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<br />Colorado River cutthroat trout as endangered, citing evidence of a "substantial increase" <br />in the number of known populations. <br /> <br />The USFWS issued the decision after a yearlong review of the status of the fish, found <br />only in parts of Utah, Wyoming and western Colorado. A U.s. District Court in <br />Washington ordered the review last year after environmental groups challenged the <br />agency's rejection of their petition to add the fish to the federal endangered species list. <br /> <br />The USFWS/S final report cites that experts found no evidence of major declines in the <br />overall distribution or abundance of Colorado River cutthroat trout over the last several <br />decades. <br /> <br />The environmental groups are reviewing the USFWS findings to decide whether to <br />challenge them in court. <br /> <br />The Colorado River cutthroat trout is the only salmonid, which includes trout and <br />salmon, native to the upper Colorado River basin. It has red or orange slashes on both <br />sides of its lower jaws and black spots on its sides, particularly toward the tail. <br /> <br />Southwest, Denver to Lead U.S. Growth: The Southwest region, including <br />Denver, is expected to lead the nation in population growth through 2020, according to <br />a report released by NAI Global. People are moving to the region for a better quality of <br />life and companies are following in their quest for an educated workforce. <br /> <br />With about 2.4 million people, Denver-Aurora is the nation's 26th largest metropolitan <br />area. It has the 10th-largest downtown district in the country. The median age is 33, and <br />66 percent of the population is between 18 and 65 years old. <br /> <br />Denver-Aurora also has a large government presence, second only to Washington, D.C. <br />The federal agencies have attracted complementary firms in the energy, defense and <br />aerospace business, the report says. <br /> <br />Bills Aim to Find Ways to Make Produced Water Usable for Agriculture: <br />Two bills making their way through the U.S. Congress could set the stage for treating <br />water produced by oil and gas drilling and making it useable by farmers and ranchers <br />for irrigation. <br /> <br />The "More Water and More Energy Act," House bill 902, sponsored by US Rep. Mark <br />Udall would fund research and development pilot programs in several western states to <br /> <br />9 <br />